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Africa: Abused, Robbed, Shunned, Widows Pay High Price for Spouse's Death
Thomson Reuters Foundation, 23 June 2022
This International Widows Day, I am calling for greater financial help for millions of widows left struggling while grieving and an end to harmful, degrading traditions Read more »
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Nigeria: Widows in Nigeria Are Sometimes Treated Badly
The Conversation Africa, 22 June 2022
Nigeria is home to about 15 million of the world's 258 million widows. Widowhood in an ethnically and religiously diverse country like Nigeria, with three major ethnic groups and… Read more »
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Africa: UN General Assembly Adopts Seminal Legislation on Widows' Rights
GFW, 17 March 2022
The text was adopted by consensus paving the way for increased attention to their human rights violations as well as emphasizing their important contributions to peacebuilding and… Read more »
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Kenya: Widows - the Invisible Women With Invisible Problems
Nation, 23 June 2021
Today is International Widows' Day with this year's event being marked with a reflection of the darkness that hovers over the at least 258 million widows globally. One in 10 of… Read more »
Africa Needs to Bring Widows Out of the Shadows
For many women around the world, the devastating loss of a partner is magnified by a long-term fight for their basic rights and dignity. Despite the fact that there are more than 258 million widows around the world, widows have historically been left unseen, unsupported, and unmeasured in our societies, reports the United Nations.
The United Nations observes 23 June as International Widows Day since 2011, to address the "poverty and injustice" faced by millions of widows and their dependents across the world and spread awareness of their situation.
According to the UN, there are around 258 million widows across the world. Africa accounts for almost 50% of the world's widow population. The number of widows is said to have risen in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The UN says nearly one in every 10 widows, lives in extreme poverty.
The theme for the International Widows' Day this year is 'Invisible Women, Invisible Problems.'
InFocus
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A group of Nigerian widows have lost their case after suing the oil giant Shell for its alleged role in the unlawful arrest, detention, and execution of thei Read more »
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In a war that ripped northern Uganda apart, some 2 million people were forced into camps. The Lord's Resistance Army was ousted from Uganda in 2005, but women from the region ... Read more »
Paska Akello sits in her house in Wilpii village, Paicho sub-county, Gulu district in Northern Uganda, March 26, 2018.
